The hardest puzzle under the Sun

This article was taken from the January issue of Wired
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Wired could tell you how to solve the Copernisis conundrum, but
it won't help: "There are 188 million combinations," says Andrew
Reeves, its creator. "I could show you how and you still wouldn't
be able to do it. It requires a certain amount of research into the
solar system."

The puzzle is based on Nicolaus Copernicus's heliocentric model
and is nearly as ambitious. First, you have to work out how its
five rotating rings correspond to the orbit of the planets, then open a hidden compartment, solve the equation
engraved inside (using information in the accompanying booklet) and
use it to work out the correct position of each planet, unlocking a
key as a reward. But even that wasn't enough for 48-year-old
Reeves.

"It's been my dream to provide a tangible puzzle and take it to
the internet and back." Enter the key's serial number at
copernisis.com to play a time-limited star-map based enigma. Crack
it and you can win £250. Copernisis is part of a larger puzzle, third in a planned series of five, with 15,000
registered problem-solvers so far. The final puzzle, due in 2016,
will be padlocked: you'll need the keys from the other four to open
it and be eligible for the £100,000 reward. Reeves has also
scattered coins -- swap them for prizes -- from Egypt to
Australia.

Each puzzle offers clues as to their location. "I did this ahead
of The Da Vinci Code," he says. Reeves came up with the idea in
2002. "I was looking for a puzzle that I couldn't solve and I
decided there wasn't one," he says. "I'm still amazed by the
ability of the human race to work out the stuff I do."